Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Methanol Extract of Melochia corchorifolia L.

Melochia corchorifolia belongs to the family Sterculiaceae and is a common weed found in many regions throughout tropical and subtropical regions. M. corchorifolia has been traditionally used for several purposes. In folk medicine, in India, the leaves and roots of M. corchorifolia are used to treat urinary disorders, abdominal swelling, dysentery and snakebites. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antioxidant and antiproliferative properties of methanol extract of aerial parts of M. corchorifolia. The phytochemical screening was carried out by standard methods which revealed the presence of important phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, phenolic compounds, flavanoids and glycosides. The antioxidant assays such as DPPH radical, ABTS+ radical cation, OH radical scavenging assays, Phosphomolybdenum reduction and Fe3+ reducing power assays were studied for the methanol extract of M. corchorifolia. Since the results were quite encouraging, thin layer chromatography and GC-MS analysis were performed. The in vitro anticancer activity for MCF7 (breast cancer) cell line was studied by MTT assay method. The IC50 values of DPPH radical, ABTS+ radical cation, OH radical scavenging assays were 35.26, 10.50, 49.36 g/mL concentration, respectively. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of active volatile compounds in the methanol extract of M. corchorifolia. The cytotoxic activity for MCF7 cell line was 66.84 % at 100 g/mL concentration by MTT assay method. The results of this study demonstrate that M. corchorifolia has significant antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. Further studies are required to isolate active compounds and elucidate their mode of action.